SMART Project: Sustainable Management of Alpine Refuges using smart Technologies for a new awareness of the Alpine Space natural and cultural heritage.

The main common challenge is to address climate change effects and make more sustainable, safe and attractive the men presence in the mountains. The project aims to increase the visitors in the Alps by improving the refuges with new smart and sustainable solutions and with an awareness activity aimed at tourists. In this way Alpine refuges will survive, also economically, offering more safety tools to hikers. The innovation will be the integrated system of renewable energy (sun-hydrogen) and the use of ICT tools in high altitude, using existing technologies not yet used there. Main outputs: best practices from pilot actions and strategies addressing mountain issues; a data base from scientific and social surveys; some green and smart Alpine refuges; training and awareness activities; tools for policy planning. Main target groups: mountain users, huts owners, residents of the Alpine valleys, policy makers. The project aims to build a network of huts for enable their green growth, making them as hubs for boost of Alpine heritage. Tasks: water, energy, waste, ICT, safety, scientific surveys and awareness. For each item: state of the art, innovative solutions and pilot actions; guidelines and policy actions. The added value of transnational approach consists in activities in all over the Alps and in the need of specific skills and a direct knowledge of places. The project will require an overall budget of 2,4 million Euros.